Steglitz: Wolfensteindamm/Schloßstraße

Bernd Albers Architekten with ENS Architekten

From a Major Intersection to Town Square

The project focuses on three streets with different 
characteristics that define the character of the Steglitz district: the Schloßstrasse shopping street, the A 103 city motorway, and the Wolfensteindamm “feeder road”. The proposal therefore envisages three different approaches to transforming these car-dominated spaces into places shaped for human habitation. On Schloßstrasse, the 
number of vehicle lanes will be reduced to allow for a greater presence of pedestrians and cyclists, in keeping with the “boulevard” profile. The A 103 motorway will be brought down to ground level, and reduced from eight lanes to four. This will free up space for a park on the S-Bahn embankment and allow us to convert the remaining lane into a “parkway”. The Wolfensteindamm will be converted back into a neighbourhood street, creating building plots for additions to the residential buildings. The multi-lane intersection of the three roads will become a spacious roundabout, creating an urban square at its centre and a new landmark for all to enjoy.

© Maximilian Meisse
© Maximilian Meisse

The existing streetscape

Today, the intersection of Schloßstrasse/Unter den Eichen, the A 103 and Wolfensteindamm is a river of tarmac, dominated by cars. The few remaining traces of history - the town hall, the cemetery, the church - are lost in the overwhelming infrastructure and 1970s development.

© Bernd Albers Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH mit 
ENS Architekten
© Bernd Albers Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH mit ENS Architekten

Site plan 1:2,000

The site plan M 1:2,000 shows the proposed measures in the context of the entire Steglitz neighbourhood: Schloßstrasse as a boulevard lined with commercial buildings, but also with small squares, the “parkway” that was once the A 103, the new town square and Wolfensteindamm, which has become a neighbourhood street.

Analytical sketches

Volumetry, traffic and greenery, 
before and after.

© Bernd Albers Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH mit ENS Architekten
© Bernd Albers Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH mit ENS Architekten
© Bernd Albers Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH mit ENS Architekten
© Bernd Albers Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH mit ENS Architekten
© Bernd Albers Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH mit ENS Architekten

Site plan 1:500

The 1:500 site plan shows the square, its surrounding buildings and overall design. Its elevated position, which separates it from the street, the alternation of paved and green areas and the creation of quiet zones with shaded seating make it an urban setting with an excellent atmosphere.

Section

Section through the space of the new 
town square.

© Bernd Albers Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH mit ENS Architekten
© Bernd Albers Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH mit ENS Architekten

A new city square

Eye-level perspective view from the corner of Schloßstrasse/Wolfensteindamm looking north. In the foreground, the new road layout and the new, elevated town square, which is bordered by a new plinth development of the “Steglitzer Kreisel“. On the left is the Schloßstrasse boulevard, on the right the “mouth” of the new parkway, which replaces the A 103 motorway.

© Astigmatic Studio
© Astigmatic Studio
© Bernd Albers Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH mit ENS Architekten
© Bernd Albers Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH mit ENS Architekten

The team

The project was created by Bernd Albers 
Architekten (Silvia Malcovati and Stefan Lotz) with ENS Architekten (Dieter Eckert, 
Hubertus Negwer, Wouter Suselbeek) in 
collaboration with students from the FH
Potsdam. Collaborators: Mariana Dasheva, Jakob Dörre, Dennis Garcaliuc, Aaron Kührt, Nicole Rommel, Fina Spier.

https://www.berndalbers.com/

https://www.eckertnegwersuselbeek.de/